A1 · Beginner Chapter 8

Asking for Everything

4 Total Rules
34 examples
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Unlock the power of inquiry and start conversations by mastering Romanian questions and negation.

  • Identify objects and people using 'Cine' and 'Ce'.
  • Locate places and times with 'Unde' and 'Când'.
  • Construct simple negative sentences using 'Nu'.
Ask, negate, and converse with confidence.

What You'll Learn

How to form questions using interrogative pronouns. Mastering negation and simple sentence negation.

  • Interrogative Pronouns (Cine, Ce)
    Use cine for people and ce for everything else to start any basic Romanian question effortlessly.
  • Question Words (Unde, Când)
    Ask questions by placing unde or când first, followed immediately by the verb and then the subject.
  • Simple Negation (Nu)
    To negate in Romanian, simply place nu immediately before the verb; no extra words or changes are needed.
  • Sentence Structure
    Follow the Subject-Verb-Object pattern and place adjectives after nouns for clear, natural Romanian sentences.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Ask basic questions about people, things, time, and location.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to: Form complete negative sentences to clarify information.

Key Examples (8)

1

Cine este profesorul tău?

Who is your teacher?

Interrogative Pronouns (Cine, Ce)
2

Ce este în cutie?

What is in the box?

Interrogative Pronouns (Cine, Ce)
3

Unde este spitalul?

Where is the hospital?

Question Words (Unde, Când)
4

Când vine Maria?

When is Maria coming?

Question Words (Unde, Când)
5

Eu nu înțeleg.

I do not understand.

Simple Negation (Nu)
6

Cafeaua nu este caldă.

The coffee is not hot.

Simple Negation (Nu)
7

Ana mănâncă un măr.

Ana eats an apple.

Sentence Structure
8

Vreau o cafea neagră.

I want a black coffee.

Sentence Structure

Tips & Tricks (4)

💡

The Pet Rule

In Romania, even if your dog is your best friend, use ce to ask what he is. Using cine might make people think you're talking about a human in a costume!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Interrogative Pronouns (Cine, Ce)
💡

The 'Is' Shortcut

If you forget the verb for 'Where is...', just use Unde-i. It's one syllable and sounds like a pro.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Question Words (Unde, Când)
💡

The Bodyguard Rule

Always think of nu as a bodyguard. It must stand directly in front of the verb to protect it from being positive!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Simple Negation (Nu)
💡

The Subject is Optional

If you forget the pronoun 'Eu', don't panic! The verb usually tells people who you are talking about anyway.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Sentence Structure

Key Vocabulary (6)

cine who ce what unde where când when nu no/not acasă at home

Real-World Preview

message-circle

Meeting a New Friend

Review Summary

  • [Pronoun] + [Verb] + [Subject]?
  • [Adverb] + [Verb] + [Subject]?
  • [Subject] + nu + [Verb]
  • S + V + O

Common Mistakes

The negation 'nu' must always precede the verb, not follow it.

Wrong: Eu sunt nu obosit.
Correct: Eu nu sunt obosit.

In questions, the verb often moves before the subject for better flow.

Wrong: Unde tu ești?
Correct: Unde ești tu?

Use 'Cine' for people and 'Ce' for objects. Confusing them changes the meaning to 'What are you?' (as a thing).

Wrong: Ce ești tu?
Correct: Cine ești tu?

Next Steps

You are building a solid foundation. Keep practicing, and don't be afraid to ask questions!

Write 5 questions for a partner

Continue to: Numbers and Time

Quick Practice (10)

How do you ask 'Do you have a dog?'

___ un câine?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ai
Romanian doesn't use helper verbs like 'do'. You just use the verb 'ai' (you have) with a question mark.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Sentence Structure

Identify the correct pronoun for an object.

___ vrei să bei?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ce
You are asking about a beverage (a thing), so 'Ce' (What) is the correct choice.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Interrogative Pronouns (Cine, Ce)

Choose the correct word to ask about the location of the park.

___ este parcul?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Unde
Unde is used for locations (Where), while când is for time.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Question Words (Unde, Când)

Choose the correct negative response to: 'Ești obosit?' (Are you tired?)

___, sunt plin de energie!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nu
'Nu' is used as a standalone answer for 'No'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Simple Negation (Nu)

Complete the informal question 'Where is the cat?'.

___ pisica?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Unde-i
Unde-i is the contraction of unde este (where is).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Question Words (Unde, Când)

Transform the positive sentence into a negative one: 'Eu vorbesc românește.'

Eu ___ vorbesc românește.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nu
To negate a verb, you simply place 'nu' directly before it.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Simple Negation (Nu)

Choose the correct way to say 'The big house'.

___ ___ este frumoasă.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Casa mare
Adjectives like 'mare' (big) follow the noun 'casa' (the house).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Sentence Structure

Ask when the coffee is ready.

___ este gata cafeaua?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Când
Când is used for time-related questions (When).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Question Words (Unde, Când)

Choose between 'Cine' or 'Ce' based on the context.

___ este la telefon?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Cine
Since a person is usually on the other end of a phone call, we use 'Cine' (Who).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Interrogative Pronouns (Cine, Ce)

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

Identify the correct order:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Noi nu mergem la mall.
The order must be Subject + 'nu' + Verb.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Simple Negation (Nu)

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

No, cine is gender-neutral. You use it exactly the same way for everyone.
Yes, you can. Ce este el? usually asks about his profession, like Ce este el? El este medic.
Unde is the full word for 'where', while unde-i is a contraction of unde este (where is). Use unde-i in casual speech to sound more like a native.
No, când never changes its form. Only the verb following it changes to match the subject, like in Când vin prietenii tăi? (When are your friends coming?).
No, nu is invariable. It stays the same whether you say eu nu or noi nu.
It goes immediately before the verb. For example, eu nu mănânc (I do not eat).
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Who Are You?
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Numbers and Time
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